Best Political Theater (2013)

Red Hot Patriot: The Kick-Ass Wit of Molly Ivins

Most Coloradans know of the hard-drinking, straight-talking Texas reporter Molly Ivins, who died much too soon — just when we needed her most, some would argue — at the age of 62. Ivins helped break the gender barrier in journalism, and she did it as a dame, a broad, a liberal in a deep-red state, a fiery populist. She loved skewering members of the Texas Legislature, and they — as she freely admitted — gave her an awful lot to work with. When Zeik Saidman, a Denver friend of Ivins's, heard of this one-woman play, he decided it had to show here, and LIDA Project's Brian Freeland offered his space and his services as director. In a match made in heaven, he persuaded Rhonda Brown to take on the role. And the tough, warm-spirited actress did indeed kick ass.